Flapper-free toilet flusher

ABSTRACT

A toilet flusher for use with a toilet tank that has a fill valve and a bottom drain hole allowing water to flow out controlled by a toilet flush valve, the flusher being installable as the toilet flush valve and including: a longitudinally extendable siphon tube extending longitudinally from a drain hole fitting to a tube inlet with-in a float, such that, when sealingly attached to the tank drain hole by a drain hole fitting, the siphon tube will longitudinally extend upward as it is pulled up by the float floating on water in the tank. The flusher further includes: a float chamber around the tube inlet, the chamber being closed above a top edge of the tube inlet and open below it; floatation means that positions the floating float with the top edge of the tube inlet above the water and the chamber opening below the water.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/077,208, filed Jul. 1, 2008 by Berry III, et al. The present application will claim inventive elements and features of the flapper-free toilet flusher described in said provisional application, but not any elements or features of a “leak detector” device that was also disclosed in said provisional application. Said leak detector device is not an integral or necessary part of the inventive flusher described in the present application.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to water closet flush mechanisms and methods and, more particularly to said mechanisms/methods that employ a siphon to control discharge of water from a toilet tank.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A typical flush toilet is comprised of a toilet tank and toilet bowl. The toilet tank contains water, which, when a flush handle is depressed, flows into the toilet bowl through a drain hole. Prior art has disclosed several means of flushing water into the toilet bowl, the most common including a flapper type of flush valve mounted in/on the tank drain hole. Pushing the flush handle lifts a flapper valve, allowing water in the toilet tank to flow through the flush valve and drain hole then into the toilet bowl. This water forces waste in the toilet bowl out through a main drain. When the tank is empty, the flapper valve seals the tank drain hole, allowing another device to refill the tank.

The tank refilling is controlled by an on-off tank fill valve with a valve gasket, typically controlled through lever action by a floatation device. When the tank is full, the water level forces the floatation device to a level such that it shuts off the water refilling the toilet tank.

A number of common problems can cause the fill valve to keep running instead of shutting off. For example, the gasket is a wear item needing periodic replacement, the fill valve mechanism with float can become stuck open, and the float can lose its buoyancy over time. Water in excess of the normal tank-full water level enters an overflow tube, which is connected to the toilet bowl. Thus, excess water in the toilet tank enters the toilet bowl directly through the overflow tube (rather than spilling out of the tank onto the floor).

The flapper valve is prone to several problems. For example, the method often utilizes a flexible line (e.g., a chain) that connects the flapper valve to an arm that is, in turn, connected to the toilet handle. This chain can easily become tangled in the machinery of the flushing mechanism. Flappers should also be changed on a yearly basis, which is a fairly frequent period of time rarely observed by the typical homeowner. Flappers also must be tailored to a specific toilet, which can cause confusion and inconvenience if and when they need to be replaced, and which also results in the wrong flappers being installed in some toilets. Additionally, flapper flush methods are dependent on a rubber seal, which can leak and thus requires regular maintenance. Industry recommendations are that the toilet be flushed every 72 hours in order to prevent deformation of the rubber seal that leads to leakage—again a standard that is little known and most likely not followed in lavatories that aren't in constant use. Finally, when flapper flush methods malfunction, the malfunction typically causes continuous water flow into the toilet and this may not be noticed until a great deal of water has been wasted. One study concluded that 80% of toilet leaks in the US are due to a leaking flapper valve, but homeowners typically watch for fill valve problems and are more likely to address them—thus focusing on 20% of the problem.

Many prior art devices attempt to replace the flapper valve. For example:

US Patent Application Publication 2005/0283895 (Tilson et al.; Dec. 29, 2005) discloses flush valves for delivering a selected amount of water from a toilet tank into a toilet bowl, particularly collapsible flush valves having substantial durability and resistance to wear and deleterious chemicals. These flush valves have a collapsible member extending from above the surface of the water in the toilet tank to the tank outlet in the normal (closed flush valve) state. Collapsing the flush valve allows water to flow into the toilet bowl through the flush valve until the toilet tank is drained to the level of the collapsed flush valve and buoyancy is restored. The water enters the collapsible member through a hole opening upward through a buoyant float region wherein sinking the float region allows the collapsible member to collapse and allows water to flow through the collapsible member and out of the tank outlet.

The Tilson et al. apparatus likely suffers from instability and becomes rather complicated when stabilizing elements are added. For example, water pushing on the top of the collapsible member is governed by gravity and may be tipped over laterally by nonuniform resistance of the collapsible member; and the float buoyancy must be carefully balanced against the amount of water allowed into the top of the float, which may need to be drained in order to raise it at the end of flushing.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,473,912 (Preciado-Villanueva; Nov. 5, 2002), discloses a siphon flush apparatus which by means of a sliding conduct coupled to a discharge conduct allows the formation of a siphon during the flush operation of a cistern without the need of a jet stream of water, valve means or a piston to initiate said siphon. The siphon flush apparatus comprises a discharge conduct extending upwardly from a bottom surface of a cistern and having a height lower than a maximum water level in the cistern; a sliding conduct having a length rising above the maximum water level in the cistern when a bottom of said sliding conduct is at a top of the discharge conduct, the sliding conduct being concentric to the discharge conduct and having a sectional area large enough to house said discharge conduct; a flow directing element for initiating and maintaining a siphon by directing water flow towards a top of the sliding conduct, sealing means engaged between the bottom of the sliding conduct and a top of the discharge conduct for providing a seal between the discharge and sliding conducts and operatively joining each other; fastening means fix to the top of sliding conduct for separably engaging the sliding conduct to the flow directing element and for providing a space between the top of the sliding conduct and the flow directing element for allowing water flow; floating means for moving said flow directing element upwards along with the sliding conduct; first stopping means for preventing the sliding conduct from moving upwardly beyond the discharge conduct; and, second stopping means to prevent the sliding conduct from reaching a bottom of the sealing means when the sliding conduct moves downwards. An embodiment is disclosed wherein the sealing means are a sleeve made of a flexible material wherein the sleeve includes a zigzag pattern along its lateral walls, which allows said sleeve to be compressed and decompressed as the sliding conduct is moved downwards and upwards during flushing and filling operations but still maintaining the sealing condition to prevent water from leaking.

Likely problems with the Preciado-Villanueva apparatus include complicated mechanisms, notably the sliding connection between the two conducts which would be subject to sticking and/or tangling with a sleeve used to seal the connection.

Thus, an objective of the present invention is to provide a flush apparatus/method that retains the benefits of the flapper flush system while overcoming its problems, thereby minimizing water waste, but requiring less maintenance; and furthermore, to overcome the deficiencies in other prior art flapper-less designs such as those described hereinabove.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention toilet flushing apparatus and method are disclosed as a flusher for use in combination with a toilet tank that has a fill valve controlling water flow into the tank, and a bottom drain hole allowing water to flow out of the tank as controlled by a toilet flush valve, the flusher being installable as the toilet flush valve and including: a longitudinally extendable siphon tube extending longitudinally from a sealable drain hole fitting to a tube inlet within a float, such that the flusher can be sealingly attached to the tank drain hole by means of the drain hole fitting, and the siphon tube will then longitudinally extend upward as it is pulled up by the float floating on water in the tank. Using orientation directions according to when the flusher is installed, the flusher further includes: a chamber of the float around the tube inlet, the chamber being closed above a top edge of the tube inlet and open below the tube inlet top edge; floatation means, associated with the float and arranged such that, when the float is floating on water in the tank, the floatation means will position the float with the top edge of the tube inlet above the water and the chamber opening below the water; and substantially longitudinal alignment of the drain hole fitting, the siphon tube, and the tube inlet such that they form a substantially vertical tubular passage for water to flow down therethrough and out the drain hole to which the drain hole fitting is attached.

According to the invention, the flusher further includes: a flush arm assembly characterized by a flush handle at one end of an arm and a foot at an opposed end; and tank mounting means arranged such that pushing on the flush handle causes the foot to push downward on the float; whereby a flush cycle can be initiated by pushing the float down enough to submerge the top edge of the siphon tube inlet, thereby starting water flow due to siphoning.

According to the invention, the tank mounting means is a pivot portion of the arm that passes through the tank when installed, positioning the flush handle outside the tank for manual operation of the flush arm assembly, and positioning the foot above the float.

According to the invention, the siphon tube is further characterized by: reinforcement means arranged in a flexible membrane wall of the siphon tube; thereby resisting lateral collapse of the siphon tube due to water pressure.

According to the invention, the reinforcement means is a continuous spiral.

According to the invention, the reinforcement means is characterized by: a longitudinal spring bias.

According to the invention, the reinforcement means is a longitudinally spaced apart series of independent rings.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in light of the following description thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing figures. The figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in the context of these preferred embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the spirit and scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.

Certain elements in selected ones of the drawings may be illustrated not-to-scale, for illustrative clarity. The cross-sectional views, if any, presented herein may be in the form of “slices”, or “near-sighted” cross-sectional views, omitting certain background lines which would otherwise be visible in a true cross-sectional view, for illustrative clarity.

Elements of the figures can be numbered such that similar (including identical) elements may be referred to with similar numbers in a single drawing. For example, each of a plurality of elements collectively referred to as 199 may be referred to individually as 199 a, 199 b, 199 c, etc. Such relationships, if any, between similar elements in the same or different figures will become apparent throughout the specification, including, if applicable, in the claims and abstract.

The structure, operation, and advantages of the present preferred embodiment of the invention will become further apparent upon consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are bottom and perspective views, respectively, of a float, according to the invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are side views of a siphon flush assembly, with an extendable tube shown collapsed and extended, respectively, according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a top portion of a siphon flush assembly wherein a portion of the float is cross-sectioned to reveal details therewithin, according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a conventional toilet tank wherein a portion is cross-sectioned to reveal details therewithin, including embodiments of a siphon flush assembly and a flush arm assembly installed in the tank according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the figures, particularly FIG. 4, the inventive flapper-free toilet tank flusher (flusher assembly 1100), preferably including a flush arm assembly 1102, is a device that attaches, is mounted, rests or is otherwise installed/retrofitted inside of a conventional or pre-existing toilet tank 1076 that has a fill valve 1070 controlling water flow (WFI) into the tank 1076, and a bottom drain hole 1074 that directs water flow out (WFO) into an adjoining toilet bowl (not shown) for flushing the toilet. Typically the toilet tank 1076 also has an overflow tube 1072 and a supplemental water line 1017 that directs water from the fill valve 1070 into an open top 1073 of the overflow tube while the fill valve 1070 is open. The tank, fill valve, supplemental line, and overflow tube are shown as environmental elements since they are not necessarily features or aspects of the present invention, although any of them could be incorporated, supplied with, or permanently attached to elements of the invention. For example, the overflow tube 1072 could be integral with a drain hole fitting 1003 portion of the inventive flusher, thereby simplifying flusher 1100 installation. Generally the fill valve 1070 is adjusted to stop incoming water flow WFI when the water level 1078 in the tank is somewhat below the open top 1073 of the overflow tube 1072.

Using orientation directions according to when the flusher 1100 is installed in the tank 1076 as shown in FIG. 4, the inventive flusher assembly 1100 includes a float assembly (float) 1101 at its top, a longitudinally extendable siphon tube 1103 made from a flexible telescoping material (e.g. a hose or tubing) in the middle, and a sealable drain hole fitting 1003 at the bottom, all being assembled using water-proof (sealed) connections to each other. The drain hole fitting 1003 is provided with means for sealingly connecting to the drain hole 1074 (and overflow tube if present). The connecting means allow passage of the outflow WFO from the flusher 1100 through the drain hole 1074 while sealing against water leaks from the tank 1076. For example, the connecting means may be a conventional threaded drain tube 1052 suitable for extending down through the drain hole 1074, sealed by a gasket (not shown) and held by a large nut 1018.

Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 3, the float 1101 includes a chamber 1001 around a tube inlet 1002 that is held in place by a reinforcing web 1060. The siphon tube 1103 is sealingly attached to the tube inlet 1002, such that a top edge 1056 of the tube inlet 1002 becomes a well defined rigid top opening (i.e., inlet) for the siphon tube 1103. The chamber 1001 is closed above the top edge 1056 of the tube inlet 1002, and open below the tube inlet top edge 1056 thereby forming an air chamber above the siphon tube 1103.

Some type of floatation means is associated with the float 1101, for example the air-trapping chamber 1001, or for example symmetrically placed chamber extensions 1054 that are made of any suitable floatation material and/or are hollow, or the like. The flotation means (e.g., 1001, 1054) is arranged such that, when the float 1101 is floating on water 1078 in the tank 1076, the floatation means will position the float 1101 such that it holds the top edge 1056 of the tube inlet 1002 above the water level 1078. To trap air in the chamber 1001 its open bottom can be positioned somewhat below water level 1078. The relative positioning of the chamber 1001 and tube inlet 1002 is held by the web elements 1060.

The floatation means (e.g., 1001, 1054) provides enough buoyancy to longitudinally extend the telescoping siphon tube 1103 upward as the water level 1078 rises, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 2B. FIG. 2A illustrates the siphon tube 1103 in a fully retracted position such as will happen when the water level 1078 drops during flushing. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the siphon tube 1103 is reinforced against lateral collapse due to pressure from the surrounding water. Comparing FIG. 2B with FIG. 4, two exemplary embodiments of a reinforced siphon tube assembly 1103 are illustrated, wherein reinforcement means 1010 (collectively referring to variants 1010 a, 1010 b, etc.) are arranged in a flexible membrane wall 1004 of the siphon tube 1103. Many such reinforcing means are known; others may become available as inventive improvements. For example, the membrane 1004 can be a resilient plastic material with a coil spring (continuous spiral) 1010 b reinforcing means embedded therein, optionally spring biasing it to the contracted form shown in FIG. 2A. For example, the reinforcing means can be a longitudinally spaced apart series of independent rings 1010 a as shown in FIGS. 4 (and 3).

Preferably the inventive flusher 1100 is combined with a flush arm assembly 1102 whereby a flush cycle can be initiated by pushing the float 1101 down enough to submerge the top edge 1056 of the siphon tube inlet 1002, thereby starting water flowing over the top edge 1056 which will continue flowing down the siphon tube 1103 due to siphoning. To minimize impediments to siphoned water flow WFO, there is preferably a substantially longitudinal alignment of the drain hole fitting 1003, the siphon tube 1103, and the tube inlet 1002 such that they form a substantially vertical tubular passage for water to flow down therethrough and out the drain hole 1074 to which the drain hole fitting 1003 is attached.

A suitable flush arm assembly 1102 is characterized by a flush handle 1012 at one end of an arm 1006 and a foot 1008 at an opposed end; and a tank mounting means 1013 arranged such that pushing (e.g., pushing up FA1) on the flush handle 1012 causes the foot 1008 to push downward (FA2 direction) on the float 1101. Preferably the tank mounting means is a pivot 1013 portion of the arm 1006 that passes through the tank 1076 when installed, positioning the flush handle 1012 outside the tank for manual operation of the flush arm assembly 1102, and positioning the foot 1008 above the float 1101. Obviously the dimensions and shape of the flush arm assembly 1102, and the nature of the tank mounting means (e.g., 1013) will need to be adjusted to accommodate different sizes and shapes of toilet tanks 1076.

Because the entire device has few moving parts, it is low maintenance and can easily be tailored to a range of toilet tanks, minimizing the chances of using the device for an improper type of toilet.

The inventive flusher 1100 is a simple and efficient design. Instead of opening and closing like a flapper, the inventive flusher 1100 moves up and down with the movement of the toilet tank water. Here's an example of how it works.

As the water in the toilet tank rises, the chamber on top of the inventive flusher traps air and rises until the water stops filling the toilet tank. When the toilet is flushed, the float chamber is submerged below the surface of the water by the action of the flush handle. The water level rises in the float chamber as it is submerged, and displaces the air, pushing it down the open-topped siphon tube. Since the top opening of the siphon tube is in the float chamber, the raised water level therein causes water to start spilling over the top edge and falling down inside the tube. The falling water creates a siphon effect that, once it is started, continues to pull water into the siphon tube as long as water fills the float chamber up to the siphon tube top edge opening. The siphon tube is designed to collapse upon itself such that the float will follow the water level downward as the tank is drained. Thus the float drops and the water is siphoned out of the tank and goes into the toilet bowl to complete the flushing process.

When the siphon tube is fully collapsed it bottoms out and stops following the water level down. Since the water level will continue to drop as water is siphoned from the tank the water level will continue downward until it drops below the bottom of the float chamber, thereby creating a gap in the water passage and allowing air to fill the float chamber again. This breaks the siphon effect and therefore stops the flushing action. Then as the water rises in the tank due to the fill valve (which is not part of the present invention), the float pulls the siphon tube up and the inventive flusher is ready to cycle again. The flapper-free toilet flusher works with conventional tank filling valves that turn on water flow when the water level drops, and shut it off when the water level reaches a selected filling level.

The inventive flusher can be adapted to a variety of tank installation methods suitable for both OEM and aftermarket retrofitting. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the bottom tube of the telescoping flusher is unitary with the overflow tube and has a threaded tube extending downward through the drain hole in the tank. Suitable gaskets and a large hex nut hold it all in place with a water tight seal, much like a standard flusher installation.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character—it being understood that only preferred embodiments have been shown and described, and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention as claimed are desired to be protected. Undoubtedly, many other “variations” on the “themes” set forth hereinabove will occur to one having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention most nearly pertains, and such variations are intended to be within the scope of the invention, as disclosed herein. 

1. A flusher (1100) for use in combination with a toilet tank (1076) that has a fill valve (1070) controlling water flow into the tank, and a bottom drain hole (1074) allowing water to flow out of the tank as controlled by a toilet flush valve, the flusher being installable as the toilet flush valve and including: a longitudinally extendable siphon tube (1103) extending longitudinally from a sealable drain hole fitting (1003) to a tube inlet (1002) within a float (1101), such that the flusher can be sealingly attached to the tank drain hole by means of the drain hole fitting, and the siphon tube will then longitudinally extend upward as it is pulled up by the float floating on water in the tank; and, using orientation directions according to when the flusher is installed: a chamber (1001) of the float around the tube inlet, the chamber being closed above a top edge (1056) of the tube inlet and open below the tube inlet top edge; floatation means (1001, 1054) associated with the float and arranged such that, when the float is floating on water in the tank, the floatation means will position the float with the top edge of the tube inlet above the water and the chamber opening below the water; and substantially longitudinal alignment of the drain hole fitting, the siphon tube, and the tube inlet such that they form a substantially vertical tubular passage for water to flow down therethrough and out the drain hole to which the drain hole fitting is attached.
 2. The toilet flusher of claim 1, further including: a flush arm assembly (1102) characterized by a flush handle (1012) at one end of an arm (1006) and a foot (1008) at an opposed end; and tank mounting means (1013) arranged such that pushing on the flush handle causes the foot to push downward on the float; whereby a flush cycle can be initiated by pushing the float down enough to submerge the top edge of the siphon tube inlet, thereby starting water flow due to siphoning.
 3. The flusher of claim 2, wherein: the tank mounting means is a pivot (1013) portion of the arm that passes through the tank when installed, positioning the flush handle outside the tank for manual operation of the flush arm assembly, and positioning the foot above the float.
 4. The flusher of claim 1, wherein the siphon tube is further characterized by: reinforcement means (1010) arranged in a flexible membrane wall (1004) of the siphon tube; thereby resisting lateral collapse of the siphon tube due to water pressure.
 5. The flusher of claim 4, wherein: the reinforcement means is a continuous spiral (1010 b).
 6. The flusher of claim 5, wherein the reinforcement means is characterized by: a longitudinal spring bias.
 7. The flusher of claim 4, wherein: the reinforcement means is a longitudinally spaced apart series of independent rings (1010 a). 